Reconnecting
by cutestscythe
Summary: After WDC is over, things are a little awkward between the Arclight family. Chris worries about Thomas' state and mind and whether he's even capable of thinking for himself anymore. Only he's starting to realise that his brother has fallen further out of his reach than he ever imagined.


**A/N:** So yeah, when I'm feeling sorry for myself I write Arclights. So, a little bit after everything and the family is getting back to normal and I tend to feel Thomas/IV is actually very vulnerable and suggestible, especially after it all when he's coming to terms with what he's done. So yeah, that's my excuse for awkward Arclight fluff and I'm sticking to it. Thanks for reading and enjoy.

* * *

"Thomas wants to duel, Christopher, and I think you should go with him."

Chris didn't argue with his father very often- and he wasn't sure if he was still Tron or if he really was Byron now, so he was just their father- but this wasn't something he wasn't going to back down on. Now he no longer wanted revenge, their father wanted his boys to be happy and figure out their lives. Michael, obviously, wanted to do archaeology and focus on history, but he had to actually go to school first, he was still young, after all. And apparently Thomas wanted to continue as a pro-duellist.

"He only wants to duel because he's still looking for your praise," Chris argued. "You pushed him into duelling, he never wanted to be a pro-duellist. He's still trying to make you proud."

And he honestly believed that. He'd seen how his father had put pressure on Thomas, how he kept pushing him into tournaments, and telling him how if he really loved his father he'd win. Thomas had never liked the crowds or the attention, Thomas only wanted his father to be proud of him and still did.

"Not everything can be blamed on me, Christopher," his father snapped. "Perhaps he really does enjoy duelling. Perhaps you're merely looking for a reason to avoid spending time with him."

"How selfish of me," Chris hissed. "Wanting to have a life of my own rather than revolving around you." Needless to say, after everything that had happened, there were a few tensions just under the surface that needed to be dealt with. "Tell Thomas you'll be proud of him no matter what he does. It's your approval he wants, not mine."

"It would be a good opportunity to work on your relationship with him."

"My-" He couldn't even believe that. "My relationship with him? _My _relationship with him is just fine. He is my brother and I love him and he knows that. I would do anything for him. My brothers are the most important thing in my life. I've spent too long putting you ahead of them but I won't do that anymore."

"Then why not spend time with him?"

"Because I don't need to. It's you who've hurt him. You're the one who has to fix things with him."

Their father shook his head slowly. "Forcing him to spend time with me will do no good, Christopher, he needs time to come to me when he's ready and he needs you."

"You said we could do what we wanted now," Chris said, shaking his head. "I decided a long time ago I wanted to teach, Father. I don't want to spend my life following Thomas around doing something we both hate because he desperately wants you to tell him you're proud of him."

"Christopher-"

A door slammed upstairs and Chris sighed. Only Thomas could slam doors like that. He must have been throwing another tantrum. Honestly, Tron's mind games had done more damage to Thomas than any of them. His younger brother's mind had been fractured and broken by the emotional abuse they'd suffered. He needed time and a lot of care and affection to recover and become the sweet boy he'd once known. He needed a stable home and a loving, united family and right now both were a struggle.

Chris went upstairs and found Thomas wasn't in his room but Michael's instead. His younger brothers were on Michael's bed. Both were silent, Thomas' head in Michael's lap as Michael stroked his hair gently.

"What set him off this time?" Chris asked quietly, moving over to sit on the bed.

"I can handle it," Michael replied.

"I know you can," he said, nodding slightly. "But I want to help. Thomas?"

He reached out to lay a hand on his side but Michael slapped his hand away with unusual aggression. Chris scowled. What was wrong with Michael? His youngest brother was the sweetest thing, where was that coming from?

"I told you, I can handle it," Michael insisted.

"Michael? Is there something wrong?"

"Nothing at all, Chris," he said with a strained smile. "But… I mean it with no disrespect, but I've been calming Thomas' rages for long enough. I know what I'm doing. You don't have to worry."

Chris frowned and Michael smiled, picking up Thomas' hand and kissing it gently. Thomas seemed to be sleeping. It was hardly surprising, he always slept after his rages. Perhaps Michael could handle Thomas better on his own. Chris sighed and nodded, getting up from the bed.

"Alright, Michael, I'll trust you to look after him then."

Michael nodded and Chris frowned, watching his younger brothers for a moment longer before heading out. As he pulled the door to, he heard Thomas' voice and froze. "Thanks, Michael."

"It's no problem, Thomas," Michael replied. "I'm always going to be here for you."

He scowled and walked away slowly, heading down the hall to Thomas' room. Thomas had been pretending to sleep and Michael had covered for him? _Why?_ He knew Thomas and Michael were closer to each other than to him but he only wanted to help his brother.

There was a box in Thomas' room that was full of his own posters and articles cut from magazines and tapes of his duels and interviews. Sometimes Chris felt like Thomas was studying himself, trying to convince himself it was really him. Thomas didn't want to be a pro-duellist really, Chris was sure of it. He was sure Thomas didn't still want to be IV.

Thomas wasn't a pro-duellist at heart. He was sure.

Maybe his father was right. Maybe he should spend more time with Thomas. Michael pushing him away from Thomas wasn't exactly what he wanted.

Chris didn't know when he'd lost Thomas. When he and Thomas had stopped being best friends and Michael had replaced him. Actually… perhaps it was when he started working with their father. He stopped having so much time for Thomas. And Thomas had relied on Michael more and more. And then they'd been sent to that orphanage and he'd lost him completely. Perhaps he did need to spend more time with Thomas.

Chris nodded to himself. He'd let Thomas down. Tron had encouraged the instability in his mind and Chris had allowed it and only Michael had been there to comfort him. He thought he was doing what was best to fix their family but there were consequences and he had to help Thomas now. He'd let Thomas calm down with Michael and tomorrow he'd work on reconnecting with Thomas and making up for lost time.

And the next morning, Chris had every intention of making good on that promise to himself. Thomas came down in a pair of pyjamas, his hair sticking up in every direction and dark circles under his eyes. That wasn't how he normally came down for breakfast. Normally he was preened and perfectly styled for the day. Perhaps he was sick. Chris frowned. He shouldn't had been so pleased really, given that Thomas was his brother and shouldn't be sick, but it would give them time to be together. Unless Michael got over protective again.

"Good morning, Thomas," Chris said quietly, pulling out a chair for him. Thomas gaze him a glance and sat silently. "You look rather tired."

"I didn't sleep well," he rasped. "Where's Father?"

"In his study," he replied. "He's not eating with us this morning." Thomas gave a small nod and went to get up but Chris pushed him down again gently. "Thomas, I wanted to talk to you."

"Can't it wait?" Thomas said, gazing up at him tiredly. "I need to talk to Father."

"You should have some tea first, Thomas," Michael said, coming in with his tea tray. Thomas smile tiredly and Michael set it down in from of him. "That'll wake you up and get you ready for your talk with Father."

"Thanks."

Michael smiled and poured out Thomas' tea, setting it down in front of him and then quickly making him some breakfast. Chris tried to tell him that he could make breakfast but Michael insisted he could look after Thomas just fine. This was starting to get frustrating. He loved Michael and he got on with him, but really he'd like to spend some time with just Thomas. He'd like Michael to stop treating him like he was a threat to Thomas.

"I should go and find Father then," Thomas said, pushing his plate away.

"No need, Thomas," their father said, entering the room. "Have you thought about what I said last night, Chris?"

Chris scowled down at him. "I think it's a bad idea and I'm not going to talk about it in front of the others."

Thomas glanced at Michael and Chris frowned as Thomas stood up. "I've made a decision."

"Thomas?" their father said with a frown.

"I…I'm going to go to school," Thomas said. His usual attitude was missing still and Chris wondered if he wasn't just tired and really _was_ ill but if he needed to say this then he'd listen before he started fussing. "I'm going to learn something sensible and I'm going to study really hard and-"

Michael sighed. "Thomas-"

"Quiet, Michael."

"If that's what you want to do, Thomas," their father said with a nod. "It sounds like a fantastic plan."

"No it doesn't," Michael said quietly.

Chris scowled. Why was Michael so upset about this? Michael stood and stalked away and Thomas went after him. There was a quick, hushed argument between them before Michael huffed and stormed off. Much as Chris wanted to go comfort Michael, something was wrong with Thomas and he needed to get to the bottom of it.

It wasn't long before Chris found Thomas wrapped up in his covers and sitting outside Michael's room, calling to him through the door about how he was sorry. Chris cleared his throat and Thomas glanced up, his eyes rimmed with red and his face pale. Chris sighed. There was definitely something weird going on.

"Thomas," he said gently, helping him up. "I think you should be in bed." Thomas nodded and didn't argue as Chris led him to his room. "I'm worried, Thomas. You don't seem to be yourself."

"That's ok," Thomas said tiredly. Chris smiled and laid him down, tucking him in gently. "As long as you and Father love me again."

"Love you?" Chris was lost. How could Thomas think he didn't love him? He thought… he thought, no matter what had happened, Thomas knew he loved him and he'd done it all for him and Michael. He could understand why he had doubt about their father, and he was trying to make it up to them no matter how tough it would be, but he though Thomas knew Chris had never thought about anything but their family. "Thomas, I have never stopped loving you and Michael. I made mistakes, and leaving you in that orphanage wasn't great for you but I thought about you all the time. Don't think for a second we don't love you."

"That's ok," Thomas breathed. Chris smiled bitterly, playing gently with his hair. Thomas was drifting off already. "I'll study really hard and then I can have proper conversations with you two and I'll understand all the stuff you talk about. Then you'll be happy to spend time with me."

He sighed and leant over, kissing Thomas' cheek gently. "I want to spend time with you, Thomas. You don't need to change to make that happen."

Chris' eyes closed slowly and he ran his hand through Thomas' hair. Thomas was asleep and probably hadn't heard any of it. He couldn't understand why Thomas thought he didn't love him. He could be a bit short with him, but he always had been, they were either perfectly in tune or arguing, that was how it had always been. And people changed as they grew up, he couldn't be a naïve child forever. But he'd done what he thought was right for his family.

He shook his head slowly and went down the hall to Michael's room. If Thomas had spent the night with the youngest, chances were he knew exactly what was going on. Michael always seemed to know exactly what was going on with Thomas. They were by far the closest.

"Michael?" he called softly, opening the door. "Are you alright?"

"No," Michael muttered. "Everything's all wrong." Chris sighed and shut the door quietly behind him, moving over to sit on the bed. "Dr Faker being beaten and Father realising what he put us through… it was all supposed to make things better. Everything was supposed to be fixed now. It's supposed to be how it was before."

"Things will get better, Michael," Chris said. "You can't expect things to be perfect straight away."

"I hope Thomas goes to a school far away."

"I'm sorry?"

"Then he might be able to think without you and Father influencing him."

He frowned and tilted his head. "Thomas is in a bad way, Michael. Can you tell me what's wrong with him?"

"He heard you and Father arguing last night." Michael scowled and folded his arms, glaring at him. "He wants to duel, Chris. He likes duelling but he wants you and Father to be proud of him and you two arguing over who spends time with him doesn't help him feel any more secure." Thomas had heard them and he thought they were arguing because they didn't want to spend time with him? "He's doing what he thinks you and Father want, not what he wants."

"And what does he want? Do you honestly know what he really wants to do with his life?"

"He wants to duel," Michael said with a small smile. "He wants to duel all over the world and make his fans smile. He wants to give kids like us someone to look up to. He wants to reach out to all those kids stuck in orphanages and thinking they've got nowhere to go and he wants to help them and give them a future to look forward to and let them know that they can make it too."

Chris smiled slightly. That sounded more like the Thomas he'd known. "That sounds like a lovely dream."

"Yeah, but now he's throwing it away because you two don't want him to do it."

Chris nodded. He understood now and that meant he could put it right. He smiled gently and promised Michael he'd put things right. So he waited a few hours to let Thomas catch up on his sleep before going in to see him. Thomas was looked so peaceful lying there. So sweet and angelic, with his scar hidden in his pillow. He looked like he'd never had a tough day in his life. He hoped Thomas' dreams were as peaceful as his sleep seemed.

"Thomas," he said quietly, shaking him gently. Thomas groaned and his eyes fluttered open. "Thomas?"

"Chris?" He rubbed his eyes slowly and rolled over. "What's up? Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, it's all fine," Chris replied with a small smile. "I just… I wanted to let you know that, if you want, you can duel."

Thomas frowned, sitting up slightly. "What?"

"I mean that, I know you want to duel, you were telling the truth when you said you wanted to be a pro-duellist. And I know that you're only saying you want to go back to school because you think it's what Father and I want." Thomas opened his mouth to deny it but Chris held up his hand for silence. "You are too young and too volatile to be let on your own to duel all over the world."

"I know," Thomas said, lowering his head sadly. "I know I can't do this without some help but-"

"Thomas, _listen_," Chris said firmly. Thomas fell silent again, watching him nervously. "Now, someone has to look after you and manage your career. And Father wants nothing to do with that anymore." Thomas nodded sadly. "I would be willing to help you though."

Thomas gave another small nod before he seemed to realise what Chris had said and lifted his head. "What?"

"After everything we asked you to do, if this is your dream it is the least I can do to help you get there."

"But, I thought-"

"I want to help you, Thomas. And after listening to Michael, I've come to realise that while you were pushed into pro-duelling, you've found a way to make it what you want."

"It's all I'm really good at," Thomas muttered. Chris sighed. He didn't want Thomas thinking that, but he'd work on his self-confidence later. "But if I can help other kids who were in the same mess as us with my duelling and if I can give them hope then it's all worth it. My fans need me."

"I know," Chris said, nodded slightly. "And that's an incredible way of thinking about it. As long as you enjoy what you're doing I will help you." Thomas grinned. "However, I have one condition."

"Anything."

"I want you to let me teach you." Thomas frowned, looking lost and Chris smiled. "I want to make sure you have something to fall back on should duelling ever become boring for you. I want to help you learn what boys your age should know, and I want to help you understand the work Father and I did, if that's something that makes you feel left out." Thomas nodded slowly. "And if I want to teach, well, I can't imagine many pupils I will ever come across who can be as difficult as you."

Thomas laughed and nodded, wrapping his arms around Chris' shoulders. Chris smiled to himself, holding Thomas tightly. He couldn't really remember the last time Thomas had hugged him. Probably when he bought him home from the orphanage. No… he remembered the day he'd fetched him from hospital, and half Thomas' face had been covered in bandages. Thomas had clung to him and hadn't let go until Michael pried him off and took care of him instead. Even back then, Michael had been looking after him rather than Chris.

Chris sighed and kissed his temple. "Get dressed and packed. There's a tournament half way across the world in two days that you've been invited to. We need to get going and get you settled before you duel."

Chris was glad to see Thomas grinning again. Thomas needed to smile like that more often. Chris smiled to himself as he left and went to his own room to pack before going to their father's study to let him know they were leaving. He took it rather well, and Chris was almost sad that their father wasn't more upset by his two eldest sons leaving without much warning.

A few hours later, Michael was carrying Thomas' luggage down the stairs, tears filling his eyes as Thomas told him all about how far they were going and how long he'd be away and how little he'd miss Michael. It was all bravado. Anyone could see that from the way Thomas pointedly refused to look his younger brother in the eye. And finally it was all too much for Michael and he threw his arms around Thomas and cried into his chest about how much he would miss him and how he had to call him every day. Chris was rather surprised when he got the same treatment.

Their father merely wished them luck and told them he was proud before they left, which made Thomas' eyes sparkle in a way Chris hadn't seen in years. Thomas tried to get Chris to carry his bags but he wasn't having any of that. No matter how much Thomas grumbled about a star not having to carry his own bags, Chris wasn't giving in. He was his manager and tutor, not his assistant.

It was a long stressful journey and Chris struggled to get Thomas talking about himself. It was becoming apparent that he really did have to work on his relationship with Thomas. For most of the flight he wanted to talk about his deck and his opponents and whether Chris thought he could win- and of course Chris did- and whether Michael would be able to watch it live or if he'd have to watch it on repeat. Anything but himself.

"Thomas?" Chris said quietly, putting his hands over Thomas' deck too stop him working. Thomas lifted his head and Chris offered him a strained smile. "When you were half asleep, you said you it was alright if you weren't yourself, as long as Father and I loved you again. Do you remember that?"

"A little."

Chris nodded and gently gathered his cards. "I wanted you to know that I'm proud of you. I always have been."

"You… you are?" Thomas stammered.

"Yes," Chris replied. He smiled and gently laid his hand on Thomas'. "I promise. I've always been proud of you. You fought so hard and did everything we asked of you and I have always been proud of you for that. That's why I'm here. Because after everything, you deserve your dream and you deserve someone supporting you. Someone has to teach you that you how incredible you really are."

Thomas looked a little pale and almost stunned by the idea of support. Then he laughed and grinned. "You've never been on tour with me before, have you?"

"No. Not after you became Asian Champion. Tron started hiring people for you."

"Yeah, I almost feel sorry for them getting fired so quickly right before the WDC." Chris nodded. "You're going to be so overwhelmed this first time."

"I can handle it."

Thomas just laughed and took his cards again. "Yeah? Well, we'll see."

Chris smiled and sat back in his seat. Perhaps this was the best way to get to know Thomas again. There was a time when Thomas hadn't had a single secret from him. Every time Thomas had a problem, he came to Chris for advice. When he was scared, Thomas would come and hide in his bed. Chris desperately missed those days. He missed Thomas coming to him for support or because he'd done something he was proud of or just to chat.

"Do you still paint?"

"No."

Chris nodded. That was pretty simple and a little sad. He'd always loved Thomas' paintings. Some of his earliest memories were watching Thomas standing on a stool to reach their mother's easel and painting pictures of the pair of them, because Michael had just been born and Thomas was feeling like he'd been abandoned and it was just the two of them in the world. Thomas' grades were incredible in the creative subjects, but his father was more interested in science and maths and things like that- subjects Thomas had always found a little harder.

"What do you do when you're not duelling then?"

"Hunt Numbers."

"There's no need for that anymore."

"I know."

There was silence and Chris frowned. Thomas didn't say anything more than he had to now. Chris would have put his arms around him and held him in the past but he didn't know anymore. Would that help at all? He wanted to know about his brother again. He wanted to know everything like he used to. He sighed and opened his mouth to try a different question but Thomas beat him to it.

"I play the piano."

Chris paused. That was _Thomas?_ He'd heard the piano sometimes when he came in late or woke up in the middle of the night. He'd always assumed it was their father- he knew how to play and would play for them when they were children. But thinking about it, he doubted their father's hands were big enough to play such complicated pieces.

"I hear you sometimes at night." Thomas nodded. "You're really good."

"Thanks." There was another short awkward pause. "Sometimes I draw. For Michael. His Atlantis stuff."

Chris smiled. "You were always the creative one. You got that from Mother."

"What about you?" Thomas said, looking away. "What did you do when you weren't babysitting Tron?"

"Oh…" Chris smiled slightly. What _had_ he done other than look after their father? "I'm not entirely sure I did anything else. I focused on getting everyone together in the right place… And I played chess with Tron but I think that counts as babysitting him."

"I can play chess…" It was almost weak. Like a child trying to impress an adult and then he'd realised how it sounded. "I mean, you know-"

"I know. I'd love to play with you sometime. We should duel sometime too."

Thomas nodded, a small shy smile coming to his lips, and Chris squeezed his hand gently. Things weren't going to get back to the way they were straight away but he'd keep trying. They were going to spend a lot of time in each other's company from now on, so they had time. Maybe one day Thomas would trust him like he used to.

"I'm sure you'll be a great teacher one day, Chris. I'll be extra awkward just to make sure you're ready for anything."


End file.
